Persian Gulf Pro League:
Tractor routs Iralco to go top
Ex-Persepolis players Siamak Nemati and Mahdi Abdi were on target as Tractor walked away with an emphatic 4-0 victory at Iralco on Thursday to move atop the Persian Gulf Pro League table.
Nemati headed home from close range in the first half before Abdi’s thumping effort from the edge of the box found the bottom corner 12 minutes from normal time.
Aref Rostami and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh added a couple of late strikes as Tractor celebrated a fourth victory on the bounce – keeping a fourth successive clean sheet – after a disappointing start to the season, which had seen Paco Jemez’s side suffer back-to-back defeats against Sepahan and Persepolis.
Elsewhere, Zob Ahan beat newly-promoted Shams Azar 2-1 to sit second in the table – one point adrift of Tractor.
Mohammad-Javad Mohammadi bagged a brace inside seven minutes in the first half for the visiting side, which went down to 10 men after center-back Nader Mohammadi received his marching orders in the 57th minute.
Substitute Issa Moradi pulled one back for the home side with 14 minutes left on the clock but Mohammad Rabiei’s men held out a late scare for a third win of the campaign.
In Ahvaz, Saman Nariman-Jahan scored in the 90th minute to lead Paykan to a 1-0 away victory over Esteghlal Khuzestan.
The result left the home side second from bottom with a single point which saw head coach Sirous Pourmousavi step down from his role after the game.
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Tractor could still lose the top spot today should Javad Nekounam’s Esteghlal manage to leave the pitch with maximum points when playing away to Mes Rafsanjan.
Sepahan, meanwhile, will be back in action for the first time since the 2-2 draw at Iraq’s Air Force Club on matchday one of the AFC Champions League group stage more than two weeks ago.
Having seen their clash against Saudi side Al Ittihad in the Asian club competition called off last Monday, Jose Morais’s men will host San’at Naft Abadan, looking to continue their perfect start to the Iranian top-flight season.
The Isfahan-based club, however, is sixth in the table after being deducted four points by the Iranian football governing body due to a “budget cap violation” in the summer transfer window.
Persepolis, fresh from a massive 1-0 win at Al Duhail, will take on Golgohar Sirjan – unbeaten under new Greek manager Marinos Ouzounidis – at the Azadi Stadium on Sunday.
Nassaji, beaten 3-0 by Al Hilal on Tuesday, will visit Malavan FC.